Liquid Courage
by crowlow
Summary: Kira Izuru pays Kuchiki Byakuya a visit after having a few too many drinks with Matsumoto. What Byakuya thinks is mindless conversation turns into something far more serious. Implied Byakuya/Gin and Gin/Kira. Originally posted March 20th, 2010.


Kuchiki Byakuya had always known of Kira Izuru, but he'd never been one to speak to the man directly, at least of anything that didn't have to do with their mutual captaincy. The blond seemed to be an acquaintance of the noble's vice-captain, and there had been more than one occasion before the war when Byakuya walked into his office to see Kira sitting in front of Renji's desk, the two of them talking. The fair blond would greet him politely whenever he'd enter, but no words of significance were ever passed between them.

It wasn't until the war was finished and Aizen Sosuke had been defeated - along with his followers - that he was forced to take more notice of Kira Izuru. The slight man had assumed the head position of the Third, and as such he attended the same captain's meetings that Byakuya attended, among other things. But even then they rarely conversed, doing so only when it was absolutely necessary.

So it came as a surprise to have the younger man enter his office late one afternoon. The sun was beginning its slow descent outside, casting a warm and yet haunting ruddiness over the room. Byakuya sat alone at his polished desk, intent on completing the day's paperwork before he went home. He only had a few pages left, and his red-haired lieutenant had left about an hour before, having finished his light load. The noble was glad for Renji's absence, because more often than not he preferred working in solitude.

That sense of quiet freedom was hampered when he heard a tapping outside the shoji. Pewter eyes lifted minutely, regarding the screen door with a leisurely interest. Normally he'd expect _that _particular reiatsu to be muted and under control, but in that moment it fluctuated erratically. With brows furrowing slightly, Byakuya finished signing the document under his hand, before tucking it neatly into the out box.

"Come in."

The shoji slid open quietly, parting just a fraction to allow admittance. A pale figure entered the office, with its typically immaculate hair in mild disarray. The raven-haired noble watched out of the corner of his eye as Kira Izuru closed the door behind him and walked over.

"I was hoping you'd still be here, Kuchiki-taichou."

Glancing up, pallid eyes met slate gray. The blond's face was faintly flushed, breathing warmth into his sallow complexion. He smiled softly and took hold of the chair positioned in front of Byakuya's desk, pulling it out slowly before sitting down.

"Why is that?" the sixth division captain questioned, his tone deep and smooth. He studied the other man's strange appearance while his hand continued to write. From the slightly mussed hair to the reddened cheeks, it was a very rare look for Kira Izuru. The man also smelled of sake, Byakuya noted, and he was growing steadily regretful for having permitted entrance. A drunken captain was not something he wished to deal with, especially when he had important duties to attend to.

"I can't talk to Rangiku-chan seriously when she's been drinking."

Byakuya's elegant brow arched faintly, his unhurried gaze on the paperwork in front of him. That would explain Kira Izuru's current state, he realized. "Should you want to talk seriously when you seem to be impaired yourself?" he asked plainly, the look in his eye indifferent as he glanced at his fellow captain. There was a rosy glow looming over Kira because of the lingering twilight, making his hair appear to be a light ginger rather than flaxen.

The third division captain laughed lightly, his voice barely reaching the other. He didn't answer right away, pale eyes roaming hesitantly around the room. The older of the two watched beneath lowered lids, until suddenly a blue iris swung to meet his gaze.

"I'm sure you already knew this, but I was a friend of Abarai-kun's during our academy days. Can you believe that he thought captains and lieutenants were monsters? What did he ever strive to become if it wasn't a seated officer. . .?"

Kira paused to shake his head, his stare falling to the floor. Pale brows were puckered, drawn together in what looked to be honest confusion. Byakuya himself was beginning to feel a little perplexed, unsure of why the blond was in his office at all, let alone speaking to him of his tattooed vice-captain.

"But then," the younger man suddenly said, his brow smoothing and arching faintly, eyes remaining downcast. "Maybe it was that Abarai-kun could not comprehend their power. He's always had a hard time grasping things, wouldn't you agree?"

The raven-haired noble simply stared, his writing hand slowing to a standstill. There was something in Kira's tone when he spoke those words - or maybe something in his entire persona - that was proving itself to be somewhat unsettling.

"Perhaps your time with Matsumoto-fukutaichou has made you forget yourself," he said after a moment, sounding unmoved but with a hint of sternness. Looking away from Kira, he dipped the sharp point of his pen into the ink pot to his right. "That is my lieutenant for whom you speak of with such. . .impertinence."

"My apologies, Kuchiki-taichou."

Byakuya was finding it more difficult to concentrate on his task, his deft fingers having to pause at every uttered word from the blond shinigami. He hadn't much experience with Kira Izuru, but the little knowledge that he _did _possess did not point to this. The sound of the other man's voice was oddly. . .hollow. Devoid of any true emotion, both empty and cold. It lead the Kuchiki heir to believe that his "apology" was not sincere in the least.

"Why are you here, Kira Izuru?" he questioned, glancing up to fix the younger man with a deadpan stare. Kira was staring back at him with drooped eyelids, and if Byakuya hadn't been unnerved a moment ago. . . It wasn't that he was threatened by the blond's surly disposition, simply that he didn't have the patience for it. He didn't know Kira Izuru well enough to deal with such strange and discomforting behavior.

"Don't I warrant a '-taichou,' now that I'm on the same level as you?"

A dark brow arched, Byakuya's gaze became incredibly bland. Yes, he certainly did not have the time for this. The third division captain was obviously feeling the effects of alcohol, and it would be best if he just went home and slept it off. Then he could reflect in the morning; repent for his poor decisions and bad choice of words.

"You have many years to go as a captain before you are on my level, Kira Izuru," the noble said, making a point of using the other's full name like he had before. He went back to his work, coating his writing utensil a second time. "Have you obtained bankai? Even my fukutaichou has obtained bankai, and for having a hard time grasping things, as you so eloquently put it."

For a moment it was quiet, and when the blond did not utter a response the noble glanced up. Kira was staring at him with that disquieting eye, its twin hidden behind the angular plate of hair that hung to his jaw.

"Is this the Kuchiki heir being. . .admonishing?" the frail man murmured, his tone barely that of a whisper. He offered a small smile that Byakuya thought was meant to be gentle, sheepish even, but paired with that cold and distant gaze it was anything but.

"I asked you why you are here."

"I told you before, I can't talk to Rangiku-san seriously when she's been drinking."

"What is it that you want to talk about, then? More importantly, how am I involved?"

"The previous captain of my division."

At those words Byakuya felt the crease of his refined brows, his hand coming to a halt once more. It wasn't often that he was surprised, but Kira Izuru wanting to speak of Ichimaru Gin was enough to stun him into immobility. He had been under the impression that the ashen blond abhorred any mentioning of his silver-haired ex-captain. Was it something else to come undone under the influence of alcohol? Kira's behavior up until that point was proof enough that sake loosened his character, releasing aspects of himself that were otherwise hidden.

"What about Ichimaru Gin?" Byakuya finally asked, glancing up. He noticed with some interest that Kira stiffened in his chair, suggesting that the man was still sensitive to the sound of Ichimaru's name.

"You knew him better than you would ever let on."

Frowning visibly, the Kuchiki noble held the other man's gaze and refused to look away. It was such a simple sentence, one that could be taken for mere, light conversation. But Byakuya knew better, and he had a very distinct feeling that Kira Izuru was hinting at something that the raven-haired captain considered to be highly inappropriate. He did not know what had provoked this, but he wasn't pleased with it. He felt as though he were being interrogated artfully; as if the blond shinigami was trying to probe him - discreetly. He felt violated in his own office, and it would not do.

"I knew him for the captain he was, and for the traitor he became. You should not drink, Kira Izuru, if these are the things you say while intoxicated. I suggest that you leave my office, now; I have work to do and no time for conversation."

"You look at the world with open eyes, but they might as well be closed for all that you fail to see and _feel_. I rarely saw anything but his eyelids, but even with his eyes shut he saw more than you ever have, or ever will. Have you ever _smiled,_ Kuchiki-taichou? Did you ever smile with _him?_"

Byakuya's temper was being tested, that much was certain. He could not remember the last time he felt the beginnings of fury rising within him. . . If he did not consider that _woman_. Now a slow simmer was building just behind his steel gray eyes, the thrumming of his heart escalating. The crescendo beat against his chest, like the aggravated flutter of a bird trapped inside a cage. That agitation and anger wanted its freedom, but he would not permit it. A long time ago he had been impulsive and without tact, but he'd since learned discretion.

"It seems you did not hear me, Kira Izuru. I kindly asked you to leave so as not to disturb my work. If you refuse to comply, I will forcibly remove you."

For a moment there was nothing but silence, the noble's humorless gaze pinning the man who sat opposite him. Kira was sitting straight-backed in his chair, and though his posture looked strong and self-assured, his hands were clutching the armrests in a white-knuckled grip. He stared at Byakuya stiffly, pale mouth pulled tight and short brows drawn together. His one eye seemed to gleam under the light that curled indoors from the open window. It shone with moisture, glistening wetly the way icicles do.

Finally, the third division captain lowered his gaze. "Forgive me, Kuchiki-taichou."

Standing up swiftly, the younger man stood there with his shoulders held back. The white of his haori seemed to add weight to an already heavy aura, holding him down even as he tried standing tall. The raven-haired noble was admittedly disheartened by the other man's state, never mind the fact that he was truly offended by the disgraceful brazenness of Kira's words. That the blond's judgment was impaired was no excuse, and his distasteful actions were deplorable; but Byakuya couldn't help feeling a small shred of pity. From the little he'd seen of Kira Izuru throughout the years, he'd taken the man to be a somber soul, possibly someone who had a grieving conscience.

He had not foreseen such a truly disturbed psyche.

Glacial blue eyes stared down at him, into his own but somehow without actually seeing. The blond didn't say anything more, bowing his head simply before he turned and strode away. Byakuya watched the other captain leave until he was looking at nothing but a closed shoji. With Kira Izuru gone he exhaled softly, the closest he'd ever come to heaving a sigh. Looking down at what was left of his paperwork, he saw a smiling face instead of carefully crafted lettering. He envisioned the sealed eyes that Kira Izuru had described, and his own fell to half-mast.

Yes, he did know Ichimaru Gin more than he'd ever let on. He knew more of the man's twisted, whimsical principles than he suspected all of Soul Society would know combined.

What he did not know, even to that day, was why the silver-haired man chose to side with Aizen Sousuke over him.


End file.
